Balto and the Iditarod
by brentmacwolf
Summary: The second book in my series of eight. Balto races with his friends in the Last Great Race on Earth!


Balto and the Iditarod

The second fan fiction by silverbalto

Prologue:

It's been called the Last Great Race on Earth. The Iditarod Dog Race; 1100 km of Alaska's toughest terrain, unholy weather and the elements nipping at your face and hands. But in Nome, Balto wishes to run this famous race. Little did he know that he'd get his chance sooner than he thought he would.

Nome, Alaska, March 25th 1948, 10:54 pm,

The town of Nome had a strange buzz in the air today. People were lining up in front of the communications building at the edge of town. The reply from Anchorage had finally come. Everyone listened intently. A crackled voice came over the speaker.

''Nome. Nome. Come in. This is Anchorage.'' The man spoke. The telegrapher answered, ''this is Nome. Go ahead Anchorage. We read you loud and clear.''

''The team you sent to be evaluated has been accepted. They will participate in the Iditarod Dog Race.''

The crowd started to cheer, so loud in fact that Prof. Brent MacWolf could hear their voices in his basement laboratory.

In the old fishing yacht outside of Nome, Balto sat on the bow, leaning over the pulpit. He sighed heavily and continued to stare out at the town. His friend Boris the snow goose dropped his mop and walked over to Balto.

''What is with all that racket,'' he questioned, ''is louder than my relatives at our family reunion.''

Balto sighed again.

''The team representing Nome in the Iditarod has been accepted.'' He softly said. Boris scratched his head.

''Boy, a lot has happened since I returned from migration to Russia. But wait, shouldn't you be happy for the team?'' Boris asked. Balto nodded sadly.

''I am, it's just that I wish I was running too.'' Balto sighed once again. Boris nodded.

''Is what I thought. Balto, you will get your chance eventually. You just need patience. How do you think I learn to fly, hmm? I practise, and practise, and finally, I learn to fly no problem. Remember Balto, patience always prevails.''

''I guess.'' Balto answered and continued to stare out at the town, too sad to get some sleep.

The next day, 11:34 am,

Balto awoke to hear Jenna calling his name. Balto slowly got to his feet and walked to the pulpit of the yacht. There was his wife, the beautiful red husky named Jenna.

''What happened?'' he questioned sleepily. Jenna looked anxious.

''The team that was supposed to race for Nome have gotten really sick. The musher has diphtheria, and each of the dogs are in no condition to run.'' She explained. Balto's tired face became alert.

''What do you mean they can't race? If those guys don't run, we don't have a representative for Nome.'' Balto exclaimed. Jenna nodded solemnly.

''I know. Rosy sounded the exact same as you when she telephoned her parents. Balto, what do we do?''

Just as Balto was about to answer, Boris came waddling out of the cabin of the yacht.

''What is problem here? I try to sleep one wink, and all I hear is voices.'' He complained.

''There's not time for that right now Boris. Team Nome can't run in the Iditarod.'' Balto replied. Boris was shocked.

''Am I hearing you correctly Balto? Not going to run?'' he asked frantically. Jenna nodded.

''They became ill and can't race.''

''Oy, is worse than I thought. We cannot hope to live this down if Nome does not have representative for Iditarod!'' Boris squawked. Balto then got a brain blast. He jumped from the pulpit of the fishing yacht and ran across the ice. Boris and Jenna gave each other puzzled looks.

''Balto where are you going?'' Boris yelled. Balto's voice came back faintly.

''I'm going to race for Nome!''

Ten minutes later, Balto was at Prof. Brent MacWolf's front door. He knocked continuously until he heard Brent's voice inside yelling, ''okay, okay, keep your shirt on. I'll be right there.''

Brent opened the door and saw his friend panting in front of him.

''Balto, what's wrong? You look like you ran all the way here.'' He replied. Balto panted heavily and answered, ''Team Nome can't run. I need you to be my team's musher.''

Brent stepped back an inch.

''What? You want _me_ to be a musher? I'd love to, but we can't enter with just you as my team. We actually need a team.'' He explained. Balto nodded.

''I know, but I can't ask every dog in Nome. I need to find specific dogs for the team.'' Balto bowed his head. Brent put his fingers on his chin and suddenly came up with an idea.

''I think I know where we can find some dogs. I just so happened to have brought a VCR and a copy of _Balto_ from the future. If these guys still live in Nome, I think we can get them to run with us.''

Balto gave Brent a puzzled look.

''What's a VCR?'' he asked. Brent sighed.

''Never mind. Let's just go get some team mates.'' Brent muttered and pulled out his Skin device. The Professor changed himself into his dog form and walked toward town, followed by a bewildered Balto.

The Back Alleys of Nome, 12:02 pm,

This area is what the dogs of Nome call the Back Alleys. This is where some of the toughest dogs in the small town hung out. Inside one specific alley, a poker game was going on. Tons of dogs gathered around the poker table, watching the game unfold. Sitting at the table were five dogs; and the fattest dog at the table was winning.

''Ha ha, I win again! A full house, three aces and two kings. Read 'em and weep. Youse guys lose again.'' The plump dog snickered as he was pushed a large pile of bones. One of the other dogs at the table then yelled, ''you're a cheater! I quit this game!''

A large hush came over the crowd. The fat dog got out of his chair and walked up to the dog. He stopped about one centimetre from the quitter's face.

''No one ever quits a game with me unless I says so. Youse got that?'' he asked. The quitter pushed the fat one's face away from his and walked away.

''I still quit. You will get yourself into a situation one day that will make you think twice about the way you treat people. Think about that, Big N.'' and with that, the dog walked away. The fat dog they called the Big N snarled.

''Mugze! Louie! Take care of our friend dare. I want him brought back to me alive.'' He answered. The Big N then turned to his fellow players.

''The game's finished for today. Thank youse for playing.'' With a final bow, the players disappeared. The Big N sat back in his chair and sighed. Suddenly, a noise alerted his senses. The Big N whirled around and stared straight at the source of the sound. Prof. Brent MacWolf.

''What do youse want?'' he asked angrily. Brent was as calm as ever.

''I don't want any trouble. I'm just looking for a dog named Nikki. You heard of him?'' Brent asked. The Big N calmed down and shook hands with MacWolf.

''I'm Nikki. What business does youse have with me?'' Nikki asked.

''Well long story short, Team Nome can't run in the Iditarod, so Balto and I are putting together a team to race. You interested?''

Nikki shook his head.

''Nah, I gave up racing years ago. Once Steele was shunned, Kaltag, Star and I had nothing else to do. So we went our separate ways and we haven't seen each other since.'' He explained. Brent sighed.

''Well, what would you do to accept my offer?''

Nikki gave a small smile.

''Well, since I now am a legitimate businessman, I think a small game of Winner-Take-All poker ought to be enough.''

Nikki grabbed the deck from the last game and shuffled it, while Brent sat down in a chair opposite of the mafia dog. Nikki dealt out five cards and explained the rules.

''Okay, here's how I play. You only get three Drop-and-Draws (where you drop up to three cards and draw the same amount) and the person with the dominant hand wins. Since the normal rules for a Winner-Takes-All game is that the loser dies, I think I'll just change it for today. If you win, I'll join your team. But if I win, you will have to do my dirty work for the next three years, assuming you aren't killed first.''

Brent gulped and picked up his hand. Already he had three queens, a two and a jack.

''If Nikki is just like he was in the movie, he will cheat to win. So I have to win before he cheats.'' Brent thought as he grabbed his two and threw it down, redrawing a five of clubs. Nikki grinned behind his hand. He had three kings and two aces; a full house.

''I'll stay with this hand. Unless youse can make a better one, I win.''

Brent took his five and placed it down, grabbing another card; the five of diamonds. Taking a risk, Brent grabbed two of his queens, his five and his two and threw ithemdown. He then drew his last card. He smiled.

''I stay as well.'' He replied.

''Okay then, now we show each other our hands.'' Nikki threw down his full house. Brent rearranged his hand and threw it down. Nikki's jaw dropped.

''A royal flush. I win.'' Brent said confidently. Nikki shook his head in disbelief, but answered, ''youse wins, fair and square. Okay then, you got yourself a team mate.''

Nikki got out from his chair and followed Brent out into the bright streets of Nome.

Meanwhile…

The gold dredger, the west side of Nome,

Balto watched as a gold and cream husky spoke in front of the assembled dogs. His voice was loud and sounded like thunder. Balto shook his head as he listened.

''My friends,'' the gold husky replied, ''as most of you are aware of, Team Nome cannot run in the Iditarod. Anyone have any ideas to deal with this?''

''I have one!'' a voice called from the back. All eyes turned to him. The gold husky then asked, ''yes? What is your suggestion Wild Joe?''

The dog named Wild Joe stood up and cleared his throat.

''I think we should just quit. There's no possibility that we can get another team put together by the registration date.''

A murmur of agreement was heard all around. The gold husky nodded.

''I guess that we must quit. It's unanimous.''

Just as the gold dog was about to make the decision final, Balto leaped from his view point, (an old window in the roof of the dredger,) and landed in the crowd. The gold husky stepped back a bit.

''Balto,'' he began, ''what-what are you doing here?''

''Kaltag, I must ask you a favour.'' Balto said solemnly. Kaltag was stunned.

''What kind of favour wolf-dog?'' a voice in the crowd angrily asked. Kaltag cocked his head in the voice's direction and locked a cold stare into the owner's eyes.

''Yes, go ahead Balto. The floor is yours.'' Kaltag replied. Balto smiled.

''I am putting together a team to run in the Iditarod. I want you to be on that team Kaltag.'' He answered. Kaltag nodded.

''I think I need another run on a sled team, but I can't. I replaced Doc when he died on the Nome Dog Committee, and I can't leave my friends here without a leader.'' Kaltag explained.

Balto sighed. He knew Kaltag was right. Just as Balto was about to leave however, a small voice peeped up.

''I'll substitute for Kaltag, Mr. Balto sir.'' It replied. The crowd of dog moved away to reveal a small puppy only about five or six years old (human years.) Kaltag walked up with Balto and they both smiled.

''Thanks for the gesture little guy, but we need someone who's older to run.'' Kaltag said softly and patted the kid on the head. He bowed his head and slowly sulked out of the dredger. Balto felt sorry for the little pup and whispered a small idea into Kaltag's ear. Kaltag grinned and ran after the pup.

Outside, Kaltag had caught up to the pup and had slowed him down.

''Listen, I was wrong back there. If you want to run as my substitute, you are here by granted full permission. I temporarily give you all my leadership power to guide and protect your subjects.'' Kaltag proclaimed between breaths. The little puppy jumped into the air and hugged Kaltag tightly. Releasing his grip, he ran back into the dredger, yelling, ''I'm gonna have the biggest party ever!''

Balto had walked out of the dredger while this had happened and was standing near Kaltag. Kaltag turned to Balto and replied, ''I have a bad feeling that wasn't the best decision of my career.''

Balto shook his head.

''No, I think you made the right move on that one. That little guy will remember this day for the rest of his life. You gave his some self-recognition and self-confidence. Now, what's the next move?'' Balto asked. Kaltag thought for a second, then replied, ''come on, we have to find Star. He's the last member of the trio that was in Steele's team.''

''But where's Star right now? Everyone in town lost contact with him years ago.'' Balto asked. Kaltag scratched his head.

''Well, I think his normal hang-out is under a house just a few minutes' walk from here. I hope he's still there, and still alive for that matter.''

With Balto in the lead, the two dogs ran off, leaving two sets of fresh tracks in the snow behind them.

The Post Office, five minutes later,

Balto and Kaltag met up with Brent and Nikki at the post office just on Main Street. Kaltag informed everyone that Star had changed dramatically since 1925, and that they should expect anything before they see him. Then Kaltag knocked on the ground, which made a loud clunk. There was a five-second pause, and then a voice came from under the quartets' feet.

''Okay, I'm coming.'' It replied in an aggravated tone. The ground under Kaltag's feet rose up, and a shower of snow rained down from the hidden trap door. A small head popped up from the entrance and looked around. The head had lavender and cream fur covering it, and its two light blue eyes moved in every direction.

''Star?'' Balto asked. The eyes of the head stopped and looked right at Balto.

''Balto? Is it really you?'' The head disappeared from sight for a second, and then a full dog re-appeared. He wore a red-trench coat, and a gold collar imbedded with stones of topaz, diamond, and ruby. The small dog walked over to Balto and shook his hand.

''It's been a while Balto. As you can see, I have dressed myself up nicely.''

Balto smiled.

''I can see that Star. I brought two of my friends with me,'' Balto pointed to Brent, and then Nikki, ''that human is Prof. Brent MacWolf, a scientist and inventor, and the other is someone you might know.''

Star stared wide-eyed at Nikki.

''Nikki? It can't be!'' Star exclaimed. Nikki nodded.

''Star old friend, youse look nice. Youse must be really hoity-toity dere.'' Nikki replied in his Mafia accent. Star then turned to Kaltag.

''So, what brings you guys to my underground home?''

''Well, we need to talk to you about…um…about…''

Brent then cut in.

''About the possibility of joining our sled team.'' Kaltag gave Brent a dirty look and slammed him on the head. Brent moved dizzily for a few seconds, and then fell backward. Kaltag smiled.

''Man, that felt good.''

Star chuckled and replied, ''okay, follow me. And close that door behind you.''

With Star in the lead, the five walked down a short staircase and ended up in a hallway. On the walls were rare and valuable works of art, and on stone pillars were sculptures of Star, in many different position and poses. Finally, they arrived at a large oak door. Star pushed on it and the door's slowly moved open to reveal a palace under the ground. Everywhere were things only the rich could afford; rare art, statues, gold and platinum trimming, the whole works. On the marble floor sat expensive furniture, oak tables and many more things.

''Star? Do we have guests?'' a female voice asked from behind the five friends. All five turned and saw the most beautiful dog they had ever seen. But Star just smiled and walked up to her. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he replied, ''Balto, Kaltag, Nikki, meet my wife. You guys might know her from town.''

Kaltag shook his head and stared at the female.

''Dixie? Man, you have shaped up good.'' He exclaimed. Dixie smiled, showing off her golden diamond-studded collar. Brent then cleared his throat.

''Uh Star, remember. We need to talk with you.'' He reminded. Star nodded.

''Oh yeah. What is it that you guys need to talk to me about?'' he asked. Balto then explained the happenings since yesterday. Star went wide-eyed.

''What? Team Nome can't run in the Iditarod? This will embarrass our town for years to come. We have to do something!''

Brent nodded.

''We have been doing something already. Balto and I are assembling a team. We were wondering if you'd like to join.''

Star stepped back a few paces.

''Wh-wh-what?'' he stuttered.

''Star, honey, what's wrong?'' Dixie asked. Star shook his head and answered, ''I can't race. I won't race.''

Balto tried to speak, but Star started to run around, holding his head and babbling like a madman.

''I can't race. I won't race.' He repeated madly, until Balto grabbed him and shook him wildly.

''Star, Star! Snap out of it!'' he exclaimed. Star finally pried Balto off his shoulders and replied, ''sorry, I lost control there. It all started when I was on Steele's team. When we had that accident back in 1925, I was changed forever. Balto, it may not have looked like it, but I was suffering severe mental damage. When we arrived back in Nome, I swore off sled racing for good. And now I'm not sure if I can race again. What if I have another spasm?''

Brent smiled.

''Trust us. Once you start running again, you'll forget about your spasms easily.''

Star nodded.

''Okay then. I'll join.'' He replied. Just before Star left with the others, Dixie handed him a small trinket. It was a small tooth she had strung on a piece of twine. It was her most prized possession, and she was giving it to her husband for good luck. Star kissed Dixie on the cheek and followed the others to the surface.

Once the five reached the surface, Brent knelt down and asked Balto something. Balto nodded and Brent walked off toward the post office. Star turned to Balto and asked, ''hey, where's Brent going?''

Balto smiled.

''He's going to get our final member.''

The Post office, five minutes later…

Brent arrived at the Post Office and walked inside. The building was small, and filled with mail. The attendant behind the desk was lifting bags of mail in by hand that had just arrived by plane. He turned and was surprised to see the professor.

''Oh, hello professor. What can I do you for?'' the attendant asked. Brent cleared his throat and replied, ''I'm looking for Kodi. He used to run on the mail team.''

The mail attendant put his hand on his chin.

''Kodi, Kodi, don't know a Kodi. Sorry pal.'' He answered. Brent nodded understandably.

''Well, thanks for the time.'' He said and exited the building. Brent then sat down beside a scruffy dog with a letter on his collar. The dog seemed to be on edge, and finally Brent asked, ''what's wrong with you?''

The dog answered like he'd seen a ghost.

''This is terrible. Team Nome won't be able to run. What if the other towns mock us, or we can't run in another race, or even…''

''For the love of God, calm down!'' Brent exclaimed. The dog stopped talking and sat there.

''Oh, I'm sorry. Do you know where Kodi is? I need to talk with him.''

The dog nodded.

''Sorry, I always get like that. My name's Mel. And as for Kodi, he should be running in about a few seconds.''

Sure enough, Brent saw a red male husky come running in. He skidded to a halt and showered both Mel and Brent with snow. The red husky walked over and apologized for the snow shower.

''Hey Mel, who's the human?'' the red dog asked.

''His name's Brent. He wants to speak with you Kodi.'' Mel replied.

Brent cleared his throat.

''Kodi, your dad and I are putting together a led team. We were wondering if you'd like to be one of the dogs on that team?'' he asked. Kodi smiled.

''For dad, anything. You got yourself another team mate!'' Kodi replied.

The next day, March 27th, 1948, 7:45 pm,

''Good luck you guys!''

''Godspeed!''

''Do Nome proud!''

Hundreds of cheers rang out from the streets and houses of Nome as Balto, Brent, and their newly-formed team boarded a military plane and set off for Anchorage. After a two hour flight, the pilot said, ''okay you guys. The Anchorage airstrip is just coming into view we should be landing in a few minutes.''

The plane gave a small jerk as it touched down on the airstrip. Brent unbuckled his seatbelt and walked out into the cold. He then opened the cargo hatch and let the team out. The dogs took a few seconds to stretch, and then followed Brent to the registration office for the race. Suddenly, a red Norwegian malamute slammed right into Brent. Brent got to his feet and helped the dog up. He didn't even say thanks before he pushed past the team and walked over to his musher, a middle-aged man with a grey moustache and beard.

''Man, what a creep.'' Nikki whispered. Kaltag nodded.

''Reminds you of Steele, doesn't it?'' he asked. Brent turned to the two dogs and placed his finger over his mouth.

''Shhh, keep it down. You want everyone else to hear you?'' Brent hissed. Both Nikki and Kaltag stopped talking at that moment. Brent walked into the registration office and leaned on the counter. An Inuit man turned and noticed the musher.

''Yes, can I help you?'' he asked.

''Is there any spots left for another dog team?'' Brent questioned. The man picked up a clipboard and flipped through the many papers. He then stopped on the last sheet.

''We have one last spot. You'll be starting the race last though.''

''I don't care, just register my team.'' Brent replied. The man nodded and grabbed a pen.

''Team name?'' he asked. Brent put his fingers on his chin.

''Team Nome.'' He replied. The man wrote the name down.

''Number of dogs, and their names?'' he questioned. Brent turned and counted.

''Five. Their names are Balto, Kodi, Kaltag, Nikki, and Star.'' Brent answered. The man shook his head.

''I'm afraid you need six digs to race. You must find one more.'' He explained. Brent slammed his fist onto the table.

''So close.'' He mumbled. Balto suddenly heard the sound of a wolf howling. He recognized it immediately.

''Aleu.'' He replied and ran out of the office. The man stared at Balto as he ran out.

''Did that dog just talk?'' he stuttered. Brent thought up a quick lie.

''No, that was just a ventriloquism trick I did to break the ice. Just then, Balto walked in with another dog. She was a grey and cream half-wolf, and she had both the features of Balto and Jenna.

''We have our final dog. Her name's Aleu. Now register us already!'' Brent exclaimed. The man stepped back and quickly wrote down the information.

''Your name?''

''Prof. Brent MacWolf.'' Brent answered. The man wrote this final info down. He then put out his hand.

''Can I see you Musher License please?'' he requested. Brent was one step ahead of the guy and presented a small card. The Inuit man examined, and even bit the card to see if it was authentic. He handed it back and pointed out the doorway.

''The race is that-a-way.'' He explained. Brent nodded and walked out of the office, followed by his sled team. On the way, Kodi chatted with his sister.

''So Aleu, how'd you know we'd be here?'' he asked. Aleu shrugged.

''I don't know. I just had a feeling, that's all.'' She replied. Both dogs stopped talking when Brent stopped at the race area. There were about thirty or so teams there, all from around the state, and the world. Brent looked around for a sled, but all he found was a broken, ramshackle sleigh. He frowned and walked up to a race official.

''Do you guys have a welder and some old metal lying around somewhere?'' he questioned. The official nodded.

''In that old building there,'' he pointed to an old mechanics garage. Brent thanked the man and told his team to stay put for a few minutes. When Brent disappeared, the team sat down and waited. Suddenly, the red malamute walked up to the team. He smiled smugly at the team.

''Well, well, well,'' he replied in a not-so-Norwegian accent, ''what do we have here? A bunch of shaggy-haired mutts who think they can challenge and win against me?''

Kodi growled.

''Watch it, Pal.'' he answered. The malamute just blew him off.

''And what're you going to do about it, red-mutt?'' he asked. Kodi was about to attack, when Balto held him back. Kodi backed down as his dad walked forward and stared Inferno right in the eye.

''So, you must be the all-to-famous Balto. You don't look like much. If you must know, my name's Inferno. And both me and Team Inferno are going to leave you pathetic chumps in the snow.'' Inferno remarked. Balto took the insult calmly and locked a cold stare right into Inferno's eyes.

''Say on more thing, all you'll be under our sled as we run you over.'' Balto them walked past Inferno and turned to his team.

''Well, come on everyone, we have to get ready to race.''

Balto poked his head inside the garage. Brent took off his welder's helmet and stood back in admiration. He had built himself a custom steel dog sled that was as light as a feather. (Brent had added a few things to the steel to make it that way). Balto walked in and stared at the sled.

''I call it the Snow-shredder.'' Brent replied. Balto smiled at his friend.

''Good thing he's good with tools.'' Balto thought as he helped Brent slide the sled out of the garage. Just as Brent started to harness up his team, Inferno and his musher were off. Brent sighed and ran to grabbed supplies as fast as he could. After about twenty of the teams had left, Brent came running back his fifth armful of supplies. He tied down the masses of supplies and told Balto and the team to take a dry run just to make sure the sled wasn't too heavy. Balto nodded and began to walk forward. The team mimicked his every movement, and soon they were running in the opposite direction of the starting line.

''Well?'' Brent exclaimed.

''It's not heavy at all. We can get up to maximum speed if we wanted to.'' Kodi yelled back. Brent nodded and turned the tam back toward the starting line. By the time the team arrived, they were the next to start. Brent pulled his team up to the line and waited for the official signal. The time between the team arriving and the starting pistol going off was nerve-racking for all of Team Nome. Finally, the official pulled the trigger. The flash soared into the air, and Team Nome was off. Balto lead the team into the unpredictable Alaskan North, where only your senses and instincts help you survive.

Checkpoint 4; Knik, Alaska,

March 28th, 4:03 am,

Team Nome pulled into Knik at around 4 am. Brent yawned and stopped the sled. He needed sleep, but he knew that in order to win, or at least make a good effort in the race. Balto stopped and waited for Brent to make the next move. But when he looked back to the sled, he saw that Brent was asleep. Balto barked and awoke his sleeping musher. Brent shook his head and saw a race official walking over.

''Team name.'' he asked. Brent answered the question sleepily.

''Team…Nome… (Yawn).''

''Wow, you're in 24th place already. About six of the team strangely didn't make it. They had to back out.'' The man explained. Brent nodded and gave the team some food. He just wished they could hold on.

''Man, what a run,'' Kaltag exclaimed, ''I haven't had _this_ much exercise since I ran with Steele!''

Nikki glared at him.

''Seems your lips have gotten a lot of exercise since we last met.'' He retorted. Kaltag frowned and ate his meat. On the sled, Brent ate his supper; a small piece of meat, coleslaw and a piece of bread. Balto, meanwhile, went for a small walk to get ready for the next leg of the race. Suddenly, he heard a ghostly voice.

''Balto,'' it replied softly, ''Balto.''

''Jenna?'' Balto asked. He then remembered that Jenna was back at home in Nome. It couldn't be her. Balto kept hearing the voice, until he held his head and yelled, ''what do you want!''

The voice went silent for a few seconds, and then started up again, only it said something different.

''Beware the blazing inferno on snow.'' It said. Balto gave a puzzled look.

''What?'' he questioned. Just as he was about to investigate further, Brent's voice entered his ear.

''Balto, we have to go! C'mon, hurry up!''

Balto turned and ran back to the sled. He got harnessed back in, but he still wondered what the voice had meant. Brent got into the ready position and yelled, ''mush!''

The team leap from their standing position and went into a run. Team Nome was now on the way. Unaware to the team, a figure watched from the cliffs. It then disappeared in cloud of mist.

Checkpoint 9; Rohn, Alaska,

March 28th, 11:56 pm,

As Team Nome approached, the lanterns of Rohn came into view. They were a welcoming sign for someone who was running in the dark all night. The team had decided to run through the four checkpoint leading up to this one to get ahead some places. Team Nome had gained about three spots, putting them in 21st place so far. Brent suddenly saw the team ahead of him crash. The musher was thrown from the sled, and his ribs were slammed against the hard, icy ground. The sled itself crashed into pieces. The dogs were scattered in every direction. Brent jumped from the sled and ran to the musher's aid. He called to his team, ''get those dogs rounded up! Make sure none of them get hurt!''

He then bent down and helped the man to his legs.

''Are you okay?'' Brent asked. The man nodded and put his arm around Brent's shoulder as he limped into the town.

''What happened anyway? That was some wild crash!'' Brent questioned. The musher shook his head.

''I don't know. All I remember was the dogs suddenly veering off the trail, and the crash. The rest is just a blur.''

Brent kicked the door opened in the Iditarod office in Rohn, and the man behind the desk stood up.

''Who are you?' he asked angrily.

''Forget my name, this guy need help. His ribs are broken!'' Brent exclaimed. He man nodded and called for some medical workers. Brent then ran out of the office. The official then walked out and asked, ''hey, aren't you that guy from Team Nome?''

''Yeah.'' Brent answered. The official looked in both directions.

''Where's your dogs?'' he questioned.

''I told them to round up that guy's team.'' Brent replied. The official gave him a serious look.

''You do realize that if you abandon your sled, for any reason before the checkpoint, you are disqualified.''

Brent was thunderstruck. He was disqualified. He had let Nome down. Brent was about to walk away, when the man he rescued weakly pleaded, ''no. Let him race. He jumped from his sled to save me. If he hadn't, I would have died. Please sir, let him race.''

The official sighed.

''Okay, gather up yours and his dogs, and bring 'em here. You can race. But this is your last change. Jump off again, and you'll be out of this race. Got that?'' the man pointed right at Brent's face. Brent nodded and whistled for the dogs to come. After only a ten seconds wait, Balto, and the rest of the dogs arrived at the office. The musher smiled as his team lay down beside him. He then looked up at Brent and Team Nome.

''Thank you. Thank you all. And good luck.'' He said in pain as Brent and Team Nome sped out of the town of Rohn.

Checkpoint 13, Ophir, Alaska,

March 29th, 2:38 pm,

After running through the dark Alaskan wilderness, Team Nome arrived at the town of Ophir, which lay at the intersection of two of the Iditarod race paths. Team Nome arrived at the town in 13th place. Balto stopped near the checkpoint office to let his team catch their breath. On the sled, Brent could no longer stay awake. He fell backward off the sled and landed on the snow, fast asleep. Balto knew that if the race official saw his musher fast asleep, they'd be disqualified. Balto quickly un-harnessed himself and dragged Brent into an alley. Balto stuck his muzzle into one of Brent's parka pockets. Pulling out the small gadget that Brent used to turn himself into a human when he was a dog, Balto aimed the gadget at himself. The beam shot from the small gun and struck Balto. He clutched his teeth together as the collapsed onto the ground. A few seconds later, Balto got to his feet. Before thinking, he grabbed the gadget and shot it at Brent, turning him into his dog form. Balto suddenly caught a glimpse of himself as a human. He had high cheek bones, and his arms and legs were quite muscular. Balto knew that he would never be able to see himself like this again, and quickly grabbed Brent and put him in the sled. A race official came over and saw the dog in the sled.

''What happened to him?'' he asked.

''He's way too tired to go on. I'm letting him rest while the rest of the team continues on.'' Balto replied reluctantly. The official nodded.

''Hey, what kind of pelt is your parka made of?'' he asked. Balto said the first thing that came to his mind.

''Wolf.'' He answered. The official nodded.

''Wow, it's really good quality. You must have imported it from Canada or something.'' He replied.

''Nope, it's my own.'' Balto answered. The official smiled.

''Kill it yourself, huh? Well, you're all clear. Have a good trip you guys. Oh, and watch for the sign just up ahead. It'll tell you which way to go.'' The official explained. Balto nodded and got onto the sled.

''Mush!'' he yelled. The team did not move. Balto leaned over the sled and whispered, ''guys, it's me. Just do as I say until we get to the intersection. No one else is behind us, so we can still win this thing.''

The team barked and sped forward, almost throwing Balto off the back of the sled. Little did Team Nome know that they were heading for a trap.

Just outside Ophir, 20 minutes later,

Team Nome stopped at the small wooden road sign. It was simply an arrow pointing in the direction the teams should go. Balto changed back into his dog form, and did the same to Brent, getting back into his harness when he was done. Brent snored deeply, still fast asleep. Balto looked at the sign. It pointed to the right. Balto turned to his team and yelled, ''mush!''

Team Nome ran to the right, unaware that the real sign was hidden under the snow. Inferno poked his head out from the left track. He smiled with satisfaction.

''That'll keep them out of my hair.'' He thought to himself as his team ran down the left track.

Near the town of Cripple, Alaska, 4:35 pm,

Balto stopped the team just outside of the town known as Cripple. Something didn't smell right. He then looked ahead, and saw about eleven of the teams in that town. But where was Team Inferno? Balto then realized what had happened. It was too late to turn back now, so the only option was to keep going ahead. Balto was about to get the team going, when Brent awoke from inside his sled. He shook the sleep from his eyes and stepped out of the Snow-shredder.

''What happened?'' he asked, yawning as he did so.

''It appears that Inferno must have cheated.'' Kaltag replied. Nikki grunted.

''But how could he cheat if dere are officials around?'' he asked.

''This part of the race course up until the town of Kaltag is unmonitored. Kaltag's the next checkpoint. This part of the course is just to act as a place to get supplies and stuff.'' Brent explained. Balto scratched his chin.

''So Inferno can cheat without getting in trouble, huh? I think I have an idea,'' Balto then turned to Brent, ''Brent, what would the shortest distance from here to Kaltag be?''

''A straight line. Why do you ask?'' Brent questioned. Balto smiled.

''Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Don't even _think_ about it Balto!''

But too late. Balto raced forward, as did the rest of the team. Brent prayed and gripped the sled tightly. Team Nome ran into the dense forest and this time, they had to dodge trees, and other objects. Suddenly, the Snow-shredder slammed against a large tree, throwing Brent onto the snow. Balto stopped and got out of his harness, as did Aleu and Kodi. All three ran over to the professor's side. Brent sat up and groaned in pain.

''Dad, what's wrong with him?'' Aleu asked. Balto examined Brent's injured side.

''It looks like he dislocated a rib. We should pop it back into place.'' Balto answered. But Brent shook his head and got to his feet slowly.

''No. I won't let us lose because of a small injury. I won't give up.'' Brent replied between his clutched teeth. Suddenly, a white mist surrounded the four.

''We'd better get back to the sled before we get lost.'' Kodi replied. But they didn't know which way to go. Balto then perked up his ears. Something was walking towards them. Balto bared his teeth as the animal slowly started to appear in the mist. Balto was then shocked to see who it was, as were his three friends.

''Aniu.'' He replied softly, still shocked. The white wolf had appeared again, and this time, she spoke in front of Balto and his children.

''I came because I saw that you were in danger. I am here to give you aid.''

Aniu then lifted her paw in Brent's direction. Brent felt a sharp pain in his rib cage, and then, he felt nothing. He had been cured. Aniu smiled and cleared the mist, leaving a clear path to the Snow-shredder. And just before the team got ready to run again, they were lifted off the ground and place on the path just outside Kaltag. Team Nome ran into the town and got signed in. After a few minutes of rest and some dinner, Team Nome was off again.

Checkpoint 25, White Mountain, Alaska,

April 1st, 8:09 am,

Team Nome was exhausted by the time they reached White Mountain. Brent got off his sled at the Iditarod office and signed in. The Inuit man behind the corner smiled.

''Good news, you guys are in 2nd place. You just have to beat Team Inferno to Nome, and you'll win. Good luck though. Team Inferno has been the champions for five years straight.''

''Thanks, and I'll keep that in mind.'' Brent replied as he got back onto his sled.

''Mush! Mush! C'mon guys, we're in second place! Mush!'' Brent exclaimed. But the team did not move. Brent examined every dog, but the only one who wasn't in good shape was Balto. He was tired, and he couldn't run. Brent made a last minute decision, which would spell either victory or disaster for the team. He un-harnessed Balto and placed him in the sled. Brent then ran around the corner and changed into a dog. Quickly getting into Balto's harness and yelled "mush!''

Team Nome ran out of White Mountain, and headed for Safety, the last checkpoint in the race before Nome.

Checkpoint 26, Safety, Alaska,

April 1st, 9:45 pm,

Brent ran the team into Safety and stopped in front of the office. Balto had recovered now, and he enough strength to continue leading. Brent un-harnessed himself quickly and changed into a human again. Balto got out of the sled and got back into his harness. Brent quickly signed in at Safety and got back onto the sled. There were still tracks from Team Inferno, they weren't that far away.

''Okay guys. Mush!'' Brent yelled as Team Nome, now more hopeful than ever, ran out of Safety, and headed for Nome.

One hour later,

Balto watched as Team Inferno came into view. They were gaining on them. Suddenly, Brent exclaimed, ''Balto! Nome's in the distance! We'd better get a move on!''

Balto turned his head back and shouted, ''you heard our musher! Let's pick up the pace!''

The team barked and sped up. Team Nome was only feet from Team Inferno, and they were slowly shortening the gap between them. Inferno looked back and saw Balto heading his way. He growled and sped up. His team did so as well. But still, Team Nome kept gaining. Finally, Balto and Inferno were neck and neck. And with only three miles to go. Inferno grinned as they saw the three-mile-mark flare lit up the sky.

''So wolf-dog. You're better than I thought. Too bad you won't live to see us win.''

Inferno then snapped at Balto's leg, but somehow, he missed. Balto looked up and saw a white mist floating away. He smiled and sped up even more. Inferno did so as well. Two miles. Both teams were neck and neck. They could both hear the cheers of the crowds, and the announcer calling the action. Just then, Balto heard a voice that he recognized immediately.

''Go Balto!'' it yelled. Balto turned his head toward Boris' boat. He saw all his friends there, cheering him and Team Nome on. Balto took a deep breath and howled, speeding past Team Inferno in the process.

''No!'' Inferno yelled as he tried to speed up. But his tem was going as fast as they could. Inferno growled as threatened his team. They sped up after Inferno growled like an insane wolf. Team Inferno ran toward Nome. Brent looked behind his sled and saw Inferno running up behind them. The look in his eyes was like nothing Brent had ever seen.

''Balto! Team Inferno's coming up fast. And it looks like Inferno has become insane. He's foaming at the mouth.'' He yelled. Balto nodded and used every ounce of strength in his body to get the team up to their highest sped yet. One mile to go. Both teams entered Nome. All the townsfolk were cheering as Team Nome turned the corner and headed for the finish line. Right on their tails was Team Inferno. Balto closed his eyes and ran at top speed, as did the rest of the team. Team Inferno made on last attempt to win. Inferno jumped off the ground and sank his teeth into the Snow-Shredder. 50 feet left to go. Brent turned and saw Inferno latched onto his sled. He rose up a fist and clocked Inferno right between the eyes, forcing him to let go. Inferno flew backward and made the whole team crash. Team Nome burst through the finish line. They had done it. They had won the Iditarod Dog Race. Brent and the rest of the team cheered and howled at their victory. All of Nome cheered loudly, loud enough in fact that Jenna and Boris could hear it loud and clear from the old fishing yacht.

''Balto, we did it!'' Brent exclaimed. Balto nodded as he and the team were lifted off their feet and carried by the townsfolk to the pavilion.

''Yes, we sure did.'' Balto smiled.

The Mayor's office;

Ten minutes later,

The Mayor of Nome stood at the pavilion with the 1st place trophies. The mayor shook Brent's hand, and Balto on the head. He then cleared his throat, getting everyone attention.

''I am here today to present the winning team in the Iditarod Dog Race their trophies and awards. And now, without further or do, let me present the winners of the 1948 Iditarod Dog Race, Prof. Brent MacWolf and his lead dog Balto!''

Brent and Balto walked up to the pavilion and accepted their awards. Balto smiled and nudged Brent toward the microphone. Brent blinked and then nodded.

''Thank you everyone. Even though I won this race as a musher, it is truly the dogs who win it. So hat's why I want to get the rest of Team Nome up here. Kaltag, Nikki, Star, Kodi, and Aleu!''

The rest of the team looked at each other and walked onto the stage. The crowd cheered as the whole team posed for a team picture. That picture is still up in the mayor's office today. As for Inferno, he was sent off to a dog kennel because he was deemed too unstable to be a lead for now. He'll be out in a few years (about ten actually). After the pictures were done, Brent and the rest of the team said their goodbyes to Balto and parted ways. Brent went back to his house, Nikki to his alley, Kaltag to the gold dredger, Star to his underground home, Kodi to the post office and Aleu to the wild. Balto, on the other hand, went to the totem pole outside town. He sat down and watched the sunset over the Alaskan north. Jenna came up and sat beside her husband.

''I'm so proud of you.'' She replies softly. Balto smiled as the disappeared under the horizon and the aurora began their age-old light show.

Balto was happy once again.

END


End file.
